Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not.
~Tokugawa Ieyasu
August 18, 2021
Hike from Pollywog Stream to Abol Bridge
AT miles: 17.9
Ascent: 1607’
Descent: 1704’
Weather: cloudy in the morning, rainy in the afternoon with temps in the 70’s
Sightings: a red squirrel and lots of blueberries
Hearings: loons’ haunting calls, the drumming of grouse
High points: picking blueberries on Rainbow Ledge
Today was a long but wonderful hike, with lots of views of remote streams, lakes, and mountains.
We started the morning hiking along Pollywog Stream. The trail was soft from all the pine needles. The gurgling of the stream, with occasional waterfalls, made a great accompaniment to the walk.
The forest is dramatic, with white birch contrasting strongly with the dark pine trees and the green moss standing out against the dark granite.
Eventually the trail left Pollywog Stream and followed the shore of Rainbow Lake. The dark clouds and grayish mist prevented me from talking any pictures of the shoreline.
The trail then did a gradual ascent up to Rainbow Ledges (1517’). The thin northern woods, the granite ledges along the trail, and the cairns reminded me strongly of Acadia.
Despite the heavy clouds, the views from Rainbow Ledges were amazing.
The blueberries were abundant, and I enjoyed taking a break from hiking, perching on a rock, and snacking on wild Maine blueberries.
After a quick descent, the trail meandered up and down through the pine forest for another six or so miles. There were lots of roots and fewer rocks.
The exciting part of this section was the river crossing right before Hurd Brook Lean-to. The rocks were huge and scrambling from one to the next was exceptionally challenging. Multiple members of our group took bad slips and falls here.
As the trail descended, it got muddier and muddier. Thankfully the trail maintainers had thoughtfully put in hundreds of yards of bogboards so hikers could keep their feet dry. Because of the rain, the narrow bogboards were quite slippery and more than one of my fellow hikers slid off the boards and into the mud.
After hiking a few more miles in the rain, we actually left the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Tomorrow we enter Baxter State Park!
As I left the Hundred Mile Wilderness I looked over my shoulder and saw this forbidding sign. These woods are remote, but my slackpacking adventure proves that these woods are not as inaccessible as the sign indicates!
Today is a great day for a long walk in the woods!